Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about why your VA business makes you feel like you are running to catch up.
Today’s Quote: “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” – Zig Ziglar
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Today we’re talking about something that I see all the time with virtual assistants, especially once you’re past that very beginning stage.
You’re working. You’re showing up. You’ve maybe had some clients, or you even have clients right now. But your business feels scattered. A little all over the place. A little unclear. Like you’re doing a lot, but not really building anything solid.
You’re feeling constantly busy, but at the end of the week, you’re not totally sure what you actually moved forward. You might even look back and think, hmm what moved forward this week?
And if that’s you, I want you to understand something. It’s not because you’re doing something wrong. Well, not entirely. You are missing something very important though. And once you figure out what that thing is, everything starts to feel a lot simpler.
I promise!
It’s Not Time Management
When your business feels scattered, most people assume it’s a time problem.
They think:
I need better time management.
I need to be more productive.
I need to get more done.
That’s super common. Totally normal. We often feel like we need to find more time to do more stuff, right? Like marketing – need to find time. Networking – need to find time. And so on.
Maybe you’ve told yourself you just need to be more disciplined. Maybe you’ve tried new planners, new routines, new systems. But that’s not actually the issue. At least not always.
The real issue is a lack of structure… you don’t have a plan.
You don’t have a clear framework for what you’re offering, who you are trying to attract, and how you will consistently bring in clients.
If those pieces are not clear, then everything else starts to feel messy. Because you are making decisions in this moment, instead of following a plan.
You can make all the lists and buy all the new planners that you want, but it won’t change a thing if you don’t actually focus on the structure of what you are doing. Or what you want to do. Where you want to get to.
Remember last episode I told you how important a plan is. Not having to figure out what you need to do today, but already having it mapped out, and just doing it – then moving on.
What happens without that plan? You end up saying yes to random work. You take on projects that aren’t quite the right fit, but they feel like an opportunity. You change direction every couple of weeks because something new sounds like it might work better.
Does this sound familiar? It sure does to me. I’ve done this a million times – and the thing is, until we realize we are doing the wrong things, we can’t stop and do the right things instead.
You try different things… posting here, networking there, tweaking your services… but you’re not sticking with anything long enough to actually see results. Every day you feel like you are starting over. Starting again. You don’t get traction. You don’t feel like you are moving forward – and that’s really exhausting.
I’ve done this a lot in my VA career. I fired or lost a client and then decided I had to go and find another one. But with a VA business that was often full or booked out, I had no plan. So I started trying to figure out who I could connect with to get another client quickly. And that never worked. If it did, it was sheer luck and it wasn’t something that I could reproduce regularly.
And that’s the important thing you want – that consistency, that framework, that plan. It’s why this is one of the main things I help VAs with, because I struggled with it so much.
And having a plan really helps you see what you need to do (so you can do it), and it also helps you monitor it and make changes when necessary, if things are not quite heading in the right direction.
I can’t tell you how many VAs I have worked with (not because I don’t want to, but literally because it’s been hundreds) who just post to social media and hope it works – or who go to a networking meeting and meet no one decent – or spend hours searching job boards to not get clients.
None of those are a system, a plan. They are equivalent to throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing if it sticks.
Having a plan means numbers. It means having daily actions. It means understanding what you will need to do to get the connections and conversations that you have to get to find a client. Many clients.
Being Busy is Not The Same As Building a Great VA Business
Here’s the part that’s really important to consider: being “busy” in your VA business is not the same as building a business.
You can be busy every single day and still feel stuck. Still be stuck. Still have crappy clients and be doing work that you don’t want to do. Or worse, not having any clients and not even knowing where to find some. If you are spending all day looking, then your plan is not good. Sorry to say.
You can be answering emails, doing client work, posting occasionally on social media, researching ideas, tweaking your website, and still not have a clear offer, a plan for growth, or any predictability in your income.
That’s where the frustration comes from. It’s how a lot of VAs voice their frustration to me. They say ‘I’m doing ‘everything’ and not getting clients’.
You are putting in the effort – you’re not sitting around doing nothing. You’re trying, but the effort isn’t compounding.
But what is everything to you? Is it literally posting on every social media platform, or running around to every RFP site and checking for someone who needs help?
That’s not the right plan. It can be a part of your plan – let’s be clear about that. But it can’t be your whole plan.
You need something that builds on itself. Doing everything is a scattered effort instead of focused momentum.
And over time, that starts to wear on you. You start questioning yourself. You start wondering if this is actually going to work. You start feeling like it isn’t going to work.
Well, it might not – if you keep doing what you’re doing.
I want you to know though that if you think other people just “get it” in a way that you don’t, you aren’t right. Not entirely, anyway. It’s not about your skill. It’s about your structure.
I want you to really listen to this message: if you don’t know how to get great clients for your VA business, you need to learn how.
That often means working with someone like me who can help you create a repeatable plan that you can put into practice every day.
You’re doing the wrong things, over and over, and expecting a different result.
If this sounds like you, then it’s time to get help.
I tell you guys all the time that I don’t know everything. And I don’t.
I certainly didn’t as a VA who struggled for 8 years clawing around on job boards, doing cheap work, spending so much time doing what I thought was marketing … before I started working with a business coach who saw things SO clearly that I just couldn’t see.
I raised my rates overnight. Seriously. I went from $25/hr to $50/hr in one day. He helped me see my true VALUE to my clients. He helped me map out my packages and pricing, and helped me find my people – who to network with.
I couldn’t see it myself. Not because I lacked the skill to do it – but I lacked the structure, the plan, the vision.
And that’s what I help VAs with all these years later. Clearing the field and finding the path to your best clients.
I promise you, everything is clearer and easier with a plan. And with the support to execute that plan.
Are You Ready To Take Your VA Business Seriously?
This is exactly where VAs like you are when they decide they’re ready to take things seriously.
You aren’t starting from zero. You’re not completely brand new. You have done enough to know that this CAN work. But you also know you do not have a structure to make it happen.
And this is the piece that’s really hard to build on your own. Because when you’re in the middle of it, it’s hard to see things clearly. Everything feels important. Everything feels like something you should be doing.
You see other VAs offering different services. You hear different advice online. You get ideas constantly. And without a clear filter, you try to do all of it. Maybe you think you’ll try a few things and see what works for you. Not a bad idea, but you are really just creating noise.
That starts the second-guessing. More starting and stopping. And this is exactly the thing that gets VAs stuck for way longer than they need to.
Not because they’re not trying. Not because you’re not trying.
But because they don’t have a simple, grounded plan to follow. I’ll say it again, you need a plan.
What They Actually Need
So what actually fixes this?
It’s not more ideas. It’s not another list of things to try. It’s not doing more. In fact, it’s doing less, but doing it with clarity.
You need:
A simple set of services
A clear direction
A plan you can actually follow
And just as importantly, you need support in making those decisions.
Because one of the biggest reasons this scattered feeling continues is second-guessing. You pick a direction… and then you question it. You set your services… and then you wonder if you should change them. You start taking action… and then you hesitate. That hesitation slows everything down.
Working on your own is great, until you have to be the one holding yourself accountable to do the things you say you want to do.
It’s super easy to second-guess yourself or change direction – and that’s why it’s so important to have someone else helping you stay on course. Having someone outside of your business who can help you make decisions, stick with them, stay focused, and stick with the plan.
It changes everything. Because by doing that, you are now no longer constantly starting over. You are building.
I worked with a VA once who started her business by working with her old boss as her first clients. I love it, because that’s what I did. That’s what a lot of us do. But then she struggled to get more clients, because she didn’t know how to get clients.
She knew what she could do. She knew who she could help. But she didn’t realize that she needed to find those people online (or offline) and have conversations with them every day till she found someone who was ready to pay for her help.
The first client comes along with no effort. We expect that the others will too. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but we have to work for them.
But the cool part is that once you find your people, you just have to show up every day and help them and you will get clients!
It honestly couldn’t be simpler.
That’s the way it happened for me too – it took a long time for me to get to that point, so I love to help VAs like you get there faster.
In the bootcamp coming up next month, that’s exactly what we will be doing. Getting you moving in the direction of Booked and Busy!
So let’s talk briefly about what happens when you put this kind of structure, accountability, support and stability into your VA business.
Your decisions get easier. You’re not constantly wondering what to do next. Your marketing becomes clearer. Because you know who you’re speaking to and what you’re offering. Your confidence starts to build because you’re not guessing anymore.
And your effort starts to compound because you’re doing the same right things consistently, instead of jumping around.
That’s what starts momentum. Not from doing more. But from doing the right things, consistently, with the clarity you need and the support too.
Do You Need Help?
If you’re listening to this and thinking, “yes, this is exactly how my business feels right now,” then this is exactly what we focus on inside Booked & Busy Bootcamp.
This is not about adding more to your plate. It’s about simplifying what’s already there.
We take all of those moving pieces and bring them together into something that actually makes sense for you.
We help you get clear on your services, create a plan for getting clients, and actually start building momentum in your business marketing.
So you’re not just busy… you’re growing.
And you’re doing it in a way that feels manageable and doable, not overwhelming.
Booked and Busy Bootcamp is a 12 week program, so yes we are going to work together for a while. This is a good thing. We don’t overwhelm you with 10 things to do at once and then expect you to walk away and get it done. We will ramp up to make sure you are ready and get your moving.
You’ll have to make decisions. You’ll have to move out of your comfort zone. You’ll have to TALK to people (ahh!)
I love working with VAs who are ready to do all that. I’ll be there to answer your questions and help you when something gets hard.
You will not do anything alone unless you choose to – and you WILL understand your value, who you help, how you help them, and you will KNOW where your people are – long before this bootcamp is over. Because I’ll help you find them. And as soon as you want to, you can start connecting with them.
I’m so excited! This is my favourite way to help VAs who are struggling to get clients.
Send me a DM if you are wondering if this program is right for you. It’s coming up in a few weeks, and it’s reasonably priced. It’s a no brainer, guys. If you need clients, let me help you get on the path to get them. Now.
Let’s circle back to today’s quote from the incredible Zig Ziglar. “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
Let’s start using your time smarter, and actually getting you what you want from your VA business.
Check out Booked & Busy Bootcamp and let me know if you are IN!
Thanks so much for tuning in this week. I’ll see you next time!
If you’ve been feeling stuck or inconsistent, I want you to come back to these three things.
Are you making clear decisions, or are you staying in the questioning phase?
Do you have a written plan that actually guides your actions, or are you deciding what to do day by day?
And are you trying to do all of this on your own, or do you have the kind of support that helps you move forward more easily?
Because when you bring those three pieces together – decisions, a plan, and support – everything starts to feel different.
You stop second-guessing yourself as much.
You take action more consistently.
And you start to see progress, which builds confidence naturally.
This is exactly what we focus on inside Booked & Busy Bootcamp.
Over 90 days, you’ll make clear decisions about your services and direction, create a simple plan that actually works for you, and get the support you need to follow through consistently.
So instead of trying to figure everything out on your own, you have a clear path and someone walking alongside you as you build your business. If that’s what you’ve been needing, then check out the details of the Bootcamp at YourVAMentor.com/bootcamp.
Go check it out and sign up if you are ready!